Hello everyone!  Well...I said I was going to do it, and I am!  This April, I will be running the Boston Marathon in support of Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  More personally, though, I will be running in support of Vivien Gregory and in memory of Lisa, Daniel, and Mark Palermo.  Vivien is the beautiful 1 year old daughter of my dear friend Kerin and her husband Jon who was diagnosed just weeks after birth.  The Palermos are family friends who have fought against this disease in every possible way for the past 20+ years and were the original inspiration for my endeavor.  When I set out to do this, Mark, their oldest son, was about 18 months out from double lung transplant surgery and was living life to the fullest.  He had to go back to the hospital in October with an infection.  With his parents at his side in the ICU for over 6 weeks, they fought together but it just wasn't enough.  Mark passed away at the age of 24 and was reunited with his younger siblings, Lisa and Daniel, in heaven.  If you know what Cystic Fibrosis is, then you know what a devastating disease it is, both for the recipient and their families and loved ones.  You know it's a disease that cuts wonderful, promising lives way too short.  If you don't know what it it, then be grateful someone you love hasn't been affected by it.  Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that primarily affects the respiratory and digestive systems, causing difficulty breathing, lung infections, and poor growth among many other symptoms.  There currently is no cure, but amazing research and development is greatly advancing the treatments and bringing us closer to finally beating this thing for good.  Running this marathon and raising money to find treatments and a cure is one of the few things I can do to help keep little Vivien and her family from enduring the same struggles and heartache.  So please support me, CFF, and all those who deal with this disease every day.  I can handle the training, but I need your help for the most important part of this...fundraising!  Every donation, big or small, helps.  Every dollar counts.  Dollars can be doubled if your place of work matches your contribution!  Feel free to challenge me...donate some now and more if I finish under 4 hours (my goal)! If you prefer not to donate online you may mail a check (with my name in the comment line) to CFF and mail to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at 220 North Main Street Suite 104, Natick, MA 01760, to the attention of Carol Bradstreet.  I'm willing to work for this, because I know the researchers are getting close and the faster our support can get them there, the faster little Vivien and the thousands of others waiting for this can be helped.  Thank you!